Auction 63 - Rare and Important Items
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7
Auction 63 - Rare and Important Items
November 13, 2018
Opening: $2,000
Estimate: $3,000 - $5,000
Sold for: $4,500
Including buyer's premium
Parchment manuscript, Kiddush Levana, with Yiddish instructions and kabbalistic practices. [Germany], 1726. Illustrated title page.
Small format. Brown and black ink on parchment. Square (vocalized) and semi-cursive Ashkenazic script. Enlarged initial words, one with hollow letters and one colored with gold ink. An illustrated title page opens the manuscript, with the name of the owner (who ordered the manuscript) in the center and note of the year: "Belongs to… Yoel son of R. Lima Segal, 1726".
The following inscription appears at the top of the page following the title page: "See my sons, who are scrupulous in observing the mitzvah of Kiddush Levana". This is followed by a section beginning with: "The Kabbalists have written that performing the mitzvah of Kiddush Levana on Motzei Shabbat in festive attire is a great mitzvah…".
Instructions in Yiddish, in semi-cursive Ashkenazic script. For example, before the words "Baruch Yotzrech, Baruch Osech", are instructions to recite these words three times and to have the intent that the initial letters compose the name "Yaakov".
Written on p. [7b]: "The Kabbalists say that one should also recite chapter 67 in Tehillim and shake out the hems of their clothing to chase away the 'kelipot' and this is a great and awesome secret".
The back endpaper bears a late penciled inscription: "This Kiddush Levana was given to me as a gift by my father in 1878".
[8] leaves. 12.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains and wear. Early binding, velvet-covered wood, partially damaged.
Small format. Brown and black ink on parchment. Square (vocalized) and semi-cursive Ashkenazic script. Enlarged initial words, one with hollow letters and one colored with gold ink. An illustrated title page opens the manuscript, with the name of the owner (who ordered the manuscript) in the center and note of the year: "Belongs to… Yoel son of R. Lima Segal, 1726".
The following inscription appears at the top of the page following the title page: "See my sons, who are scrupulous in observing the mitzvah of Kiddush Levana". This is followed by a section beginning with: "The Kabbalists have written that performing the mitzvah of Kiddush Levana on Motzei Shabbat in festive attire is a great mitzvah…".
Instructions in Yiddish, in semi-cursive Ashkenazic script. For example, before the words "Baruch Yotzrech, Baruch Osech", are instructions to recite these words three times and to have the intent that the initial letters compose the name "Yaakov".
Written on p. [7b]: "The Kabbalists say that one should also recite chapter 67 in Tehillim and shake out the hems of their clothing to chase away the 'kelipot' and this is a great and awesome secret".
The back endpaper bears a late penciled inscription: "This Kiddush Levana was given to me as a gift by my father in 1878".
[8] leaves. 12.5 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains and wear. Early binding, velvet-covered wood, partially damaged.
Category
Parchment Manuscripts – Illustrated Manuscripts,
Megillot and Single Leaves
Catalogue
Auction 63 - Rare and Important Items
November 13, 2018
Opening: $15,000
Estimate: $30,000 - $40,000
Sold for: $68,750
Including buyer's premium
Illuminated manuscript on parchment, Seder Tikunei Shabbat by R. Yitzchak Luria Ashkenazi (the Arizal). Pressburg, 1744.
Stated in the lower part of the title page: "Written here in Pressburg in 1744".
Pocket format. Ink on parchment. Original leather binding with clasp, with fine floral ornaments.
Illustrated title page depicting an architectural facade consisting of two columns with a cornice, flanked with the images of Moshe and Aharon, and topped with a medallion containing the image of David playing a harp. The initial words within the manuscript are illuminated with miniature floral motifs, several initial words are overlaid with gold leaf, with engraved ornaments to some of them.
This manuscript is inscribed upon 36 parchment leaves. Vocalized square Ashkenazic script, of varying sizes, and semi-cursive (Rashi) script, particularly for the instructions.
The manuscript contains: Laws of reciting the weekly portion, the Psalms of Kabbalat Shabbat, the piyyutim Lecha Dodi and Shalom Aleichem, Order for the first meal, the Seder Tikkun for the day meals (including sections of Shir HaShirim and of Mishnayot Tractate Shabbat), Kiddush and Zemirot, the Seder Tikkun for Shabbat evening, with songs for Shabbat evening.
This Tikkun Shabbat manuscript, with its illustrated title page and ornaments, is characteristic of the Moravian school of art active in the 18th century. The illustrator of this manuscript was presumably familiar with books produced by members of this school: Aaron Wolf Schreiber Herlingen of Gewitsch, Meshulam Simmel of Polna and others.
[36] + 1 empty, parchment leaves (70 written pages). 11.5 cm. Good condition. Stains, mainly to the margins. Gilt edges. Original leather binding, with embossed ornaments and original silver clasp. Slight damage and cracks to binding.
Regarding the artists of the Moravian school, see: Shalom Sabar, Seder Birkat HaMazon, Vienna, 1719/20 – The Earliest Known Illuminated Manuscript by the Scribe-Artist Aaron Wolf Schreiber Herlingen of Gewitsch, in Zechor Davar LeAvdecha: Essays and Studies in Memory of Prof. Dov Rappel, edited by Shmuel Glick and Avraham Grossman, Jerusalem: The Center for Jewish Educational Thought in Memory of Dov Rappel, Lifshitz College, pp. 455-472 and plates 8-17.
Stated in the lower part of the title page: "Written here in Pressburg in 1744".
Pocket format. Ink on parchment. Original leather binding with clasp, with fine floral ornaments.
Illustrated title page depicting an architectural facade consisting of two columns with a cornice, flanked with the images of Moshe and Aharon, and topped with a medallion containing the image of David playing a harp. The initial words within the manuscript are illuminated with miniature floral motifs, several initial words are overlaid with gold leaf, with engraved ornaments to some of them.
This manuscript is inscribed upon 36 parchment leaves. Vocalized square Ashkenazic script, of varying sizes, and semi-cursive (Rashi) script, particularly for the instructions.
The manuscript contains: Laws of reciting the weekly portion, the Psalms of Kabbalat Shabbat, the piyyutim Lecha Dodi and Shalom Aleichem, Order for the first meal, the Seder Tikkun for the day meals (including sections of Shir HaShirim and of Mishnayot Tractate Shabbat), Kiddush and Zemirot, the Seder Tikkun for Shabbat evening, with songs for Shabbat evening.
This Tikkun Shabbat manuscript, with its illustrated title page and ornaments, is characteristic of the Moravian school of art active in the 18th century. The illustrator of this manuscript was presumably familiar with books produced by members of this school: Aaron Wolf Schreiber Herlingen of Gewitsch, Meshulam Simmel of Polna and others.
[36] + 1 empty, parchment leaves (70 written pages). 11.5 cm. Good condition. Stains, mainly to the margins. Gilt edges. Original leather binding, with embossed ornaments and original silver clasp. Slight damage and cracks to binding.
Regarding the artists of the Moravian school, see: Shalom Sabar, Seder Birkat HaMazon, Vienna, 1719/20 – The Earliest Known Illuminated Manuscript by the Scribe-Artist Aaron Wolf Schreiber Herlingen of Gewitsch, in Zechor Davar LeAvdecha: Essays and Studies in Memory of Prof. Dov Rappel, edited by Shmuel Glick and Avraham Grossman, Jerusalem: The Center for Jewish Educational Thought in Memory of Dov Rappel, Lifshitz College, pp. 455-472 and plates 8-17.
Category
Parchment Manuscripts – Illustrated Manuscripts,
Megillot and Single Leaves
Catalogue
Auction 63 - Rare and Important Items
November 13, 2018
Opening: $20,000
Estimate: $25,000 - $30,000
Sold for: $25,000
Including buyer's premium
Esther scroll inscribed on parchment and a parchment leaf with the scroll's blessings, written and illustrated by the scribe Yehiel Menahem ben Avraham Urbino of Mantua. Gazzuolo (a town 20 kilometers from Mantua), Adar 1776.
"HaMelech" scroll (most columns begin with the word "HaMelech", king), with fine crown-shaped decorations above each appearance of "HaMelech".
Preceding the first column is a large illustration depicting some scenes from the scroll's narrative, against the background of an urban European scene showing, among other things, towers, spires and a fountain. Appearing alongside the illustrations are the relevant Biblical verses (in Hebrew) – "gather all the beautiful young virgins to the harem in Susa the capital, under custody of Hegai", "so they hanged Haman" and "thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor". At the bottom of the illustration, on the parchment's margin, the author signed his name as follows: "By he who performs holy service in Gazzuolo, the young scribe Yehiel Menahem son of Urbino, Thursday 9th Adar, [1776]".
Apparently, while writing and illustrating the present scroll, Urbino had before him an Esther scroll printed in Venice in 1746, with magnificent frames – detailed engravings – by the Italian author and craftsman Francesco Griselini. The illustration preceding the first column is based on Griselini's illustration. Similarly, in the illustration depicting Jerusalem, appearing at the bottom of the leaf of blessings, Urbino apparently took as a model a similar illustration printed in the Amsterdam Haggadah of 1695.
We know of three manuscripts by Yehiel Menahem ben Avraham Urbino, who was the scribe and cantor of the Ashkenazi synagogue in Mantua in the 1740s: two are compilations of the "year-round customs" of the Great Ashkenazi Synagogue in Mantua (attended by, among others, some of Mantua's rabbis, including Rabbi Yehuda Briel, Rabbi Yaakov Saraval, Rabbi Azriel Yitzhak HaLevi and Rabbi Shmuel Chaim Sinigalia). These two compilations are kept in the Meir Benayahu collection and the collection of the New York Theological Seminary. The third manuscript, "Seder HaHoshanot" of the Ashkenazi community in Mantua, is kept in the Bill Gross collection.
For additional information on the scribe Yehiel Menahem ben Avraham Urbino, see the essay by Rabbi Z.Y. Dunner, "Seder of the Year-Round Customs of the Ashkenazi Community in Mantua, Italy" (in "Min HaGenazim", edited by Rabbi Shalom Hillel, vol. 6, pp. 106-109).
Leaf of blessings: ca. 24X21 cm. Right margin cut in a non-uniform manner. Stains, creases and small tears to margins. Height of parchment in the scroll: 24 cm. Tears to beginning of first membrane. Stains. Placed in hard wooden case with velvet lining on the inside.
"HaMelech" scroll (most columns begin with the word "HaMelech", king), with fine crown-shaped decorations above each appearance of "HaMelech".
Preceding the first column is a large illustration depicting some scenes from the scroll's narrative, against the background of an urban European scene showing, among other things, towers, spires and a fountain. Appearing alongside the illustrations are the relevant Biblical verses (in Hebrew) – "gather all the beautiful young virgins to the harem in Susa the capital, under custody of Hegai", "so they hanged Haman" and "thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor". At the bottom of the illustration, on the parchment's margin, the author signed his name as follows: "By he who performs holy service in Gazzuolo, the young scribe Yehiel Menahem son of Urbino, Thursday 9th Adar, [1776]".
Apparently, while writing and illustrating the present scroll, Urbino had before him an Esther scroll printed in Venice in 1746, with magnificent frames – detailed engravings – by the Italian author and craftsman Francesco Griselini. The illustration preceding the first column is based on Griselini's illustration. Similarly, in the illustration depicting Jerusalem, appearing at the bottom of the leaf of blessings, Urbino apparently took as a model a similar illustration printed in the Amsterdam Haggadah of 1695.
We know of three manuscripts by Yehiel Menahem ben Avraham Urbino, who was the scribe and cantor of the Ashkenazi synagogue in Mantua in the 1740s: two are compilations of the "year-round customs" of the Great Ashkenazi Synagogue in Mantua (attended by, among others, some of Mantua's rabbis, including Rabbi Yehuda Briel, Rabbi Yaakov Saraval, Rabbi Azriel Yitzhak HaLevi and Rabbi Shmuel Chaim Sinigalia). These two compilations are kept in the Meir Benayahu collection and the collection of the New York Theological Seminary. The third manuscript, "Seder HaHoshanot" of the Ashkenazi community in Mantua, is kept in the Bill Gross collection.
For additional information on the scribe Yehiel Menahem ben Avraham Urbino, see the essay by Rabbi Z.Y. Dunner, "Seder of the Year-Round Customs of the Ashkenazi Community in Mantua, Italy" (in "Min HaGenazim", edited by Rabbi Shalom Hillel, vol. 6, pp. 106-109).
Leaf of blessings: ca. 24X21 cm. Right margin cut in a non-uniform manner. Stains, creases and small tears to margins. Height of parchment in the scroll: 24 cm. Tears to beginning of first membrane. Stains. Placed in hard wooden case with velvet lining on the inside.
Category
Parchment Manuscripts – Illustrated Manuscripts,
Megillot and Single Leaves
Catalogue
Auction 63 - Rare and Important Items
November 13, 2018
Opening: $3,000
Estimate: $6,000 - $8,000
Unsold
Esther scroll on gevil, in a luxurious case decorated with damascene work. Near East (Syria/Iraq), 19th century (dedication from 1853).
Ink on gevil; Repoussé brass, inlaid with silver and copper (damascene work).
Scribal writing (STaM) characteristic of the Syrian-Iraqi region in the late 19th century, on light brown gevil, 18 lines per column.
Rolled on a brass handle and inserted in a large case decorated with damascene work, in dense geometrical and vegetal patterns. At the top and bottom of the case are bands of text (in Hebrew) that complement each other: "There was a Jew in Susa the capital / whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of". At the center of the case, inside four stylized medallions, is the verse "The Jews had / light and gladness / and joy and honor", followed by "and the year 5613 (תרי"ג)" (a sign whose meaning we could not decipher is inscribed inside the letter ר).
Parchment height: 21 cm. Fair-good condition. Some tears and defects. Repairs in a number of places. Height of case: 41 cm (including handle). The bottom end of the handle is broken. A piece is missing from the top end (where the cover fits onto the case, with a new screw). Some pieces are missing from the inlay.
Ink on gevil; Repoussé brass, inlaid with silver and copper (damascene work).
Scribal writing (STaM) characteristic of the Syrian-Iraqi region in the late 19th century, on light brown gevil, 18 lines per column.
Rolled on a brass handle and inserted in a large case decorated with damascene work, in dense geometrical and vegetal patterns. At the top and bottom of the case are bands of text (in Hebrew) that complement each other: "There was a Jew in Susa the capital / whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of". At the center of the case, inside four stylized medallions, is the verse "The Jews had / light and gladness / and joy and honor", followed by "and the year 5613 (תרי"ג)" (a sign whose meaning we could not decipher is inscribed inside the letter ר).
Parchment height: 21 cm. Fair-good condition. Some tears and defects. Repairs in a number of places. Height of case: 41 cm (including handle). The bottom end of the handle is broken. A piece is missing from the top end (where the cover fits onto the case, with a new screw). Some pieces are missing from the inlay.
Category
Parchment Manuscripts – Illustrated Manuscripts,
Megillot and Single Leaves
Catalogue
Auction 63 - Rare and Important Items
November 13, 2018
Opening: $9,000
Estimate: $15,000 - $20,000
Sold for: $11,250
Including buyer's premium
Ketubah documenting the marriage of the groom Yosef son of the late Yaakov Teixeira de Mattos, with the bride Yehudit daughter of the late Avraham Chizkiya Nunez Henriques. Amsterdam, Netherlands, 4th Tammuz, [July] 1723. Bearing two signatures of Chacham Shlomo Ayllon, Rabbi of the Spanish-Portuguese community in Amsterdam.
Spanish-Dutch parchment Ketubah, adorned with a high-quality copper engraving: In the right and left margins are two vases containing large bouquets, on which various birds and animals are perched. These are topped by images of a bride and groom in contemporary attire (on the right) and a mother with two children (on the left; an allegory of Caritas [charity]). The text is written in Sephardic script and appears between two rounded pillars entwined with branches, crowned with an arch. On both sides of the arch are two Cherubs holding a drapery bearing the inscription "B'Siman Tov". At the bottom of the engraving is a large Rococo cartouche in which the Tena'im were written.
Two inscriptions in Latin characters appear in the bottom margin - on the left: "27 Adar Seni A° 5453 Yom Sabat Kodes", and on the right: "H. Y. Aboab", referring to the date of the death (27th Adar II 1693) of Chacham Isaac Aboab (da Fonseca, the III), revered rabbi of Amsterdam.
The inspiration for this copper engraving was the design of two Dutch ketubot created in 1648 and in 1654 by the artist and engraver Shalom Mordechai Italia. Shalom Italia, who arrived in Holland from Mantua, was also known for creating two Scrolls of Esther and portraits of Jacob Judah Leon Templo and of Menasseh ben Israel.
At the bottom of the ketubah are the signatures of the groom (in Latin characters) and of the witnesses: "Shlomo son of R. Yaakov Ayllon", "Yaakov ibn Yakar Bondia". The first signatory is Chacham Shlomo Ayllon, Rabbi of the Spanish-Portuguese community in Amsterdam. His signature (together with that of the second witness) appears again at the end of the Tena'im, inscribed in the lower cartouche. The Ketubah and the Tena'im mention the name of the notary who drew up this contract – "the famous notary… Peter Iscabali…".
R. Shlomo Ayllon (ca. 1660-1728), born in Salonika (or Safed), served as emissary of the Safed community in Europe, residing also in Izmir, Turkey and in Livorno. He was later appointed Chacham of the Spanish-Portuguese community (the Marrano community) in London. From there, he moved over to serve as rabbi of the Spanish-Portuguese community in Amsterdam, alongside Chacham Tzvi, then rabbi of the Ashkenazi community. He was suspected of Sabbateanism, resulting in his involvement in polemics on that topic in London and Amsterdam. His rulings and responsa are quoted in halachic books. Some of his writings are extant in manuscript (see enclosed material).
41X34 cm. A few stains. Creases. Minute marginal tears.
Literature:
1. Ketubbah: Jewish marriage contracts of the Hebrew Union College Skirball Museum and Klau Library, by Shalom Sabar (NY, 1990), pp. 265-270.
2. The Oeuvre of the Jewish Engraver Salom Italia, by Mordechai Narkis, in: Tarbitz, Vol. 25, Issue 4, Tammuz 1956, pp. 441-451; Vol. 26, Issue 1, Tishrei 1956, pp. 87-101.
3. HaKetubah B'Iturim, by David Davidowitz. Tel Aviv: A. Levine-Epstein, 1979, pp. 21-24.
Spanish-Dutch parchment Ketubah, adorned with a high-quality copper engraving: In the right and left margins are two vases containing large bouquets, on which various birds and animals are perched. These are topped by images of a bride and groom in contemporary attire (on the right) and a mother with two children (on the left; an allegory of Caritas [charity]). The text is written in Sephardic script and appears between two rounded pillars entwined with branches, crowned with an arch. On both sides of the arch are two Cherubs holding a drapery bearing the inscription "B'Siman Tov". At the bottom of the engraving is a large Rococo cartouche in which the Tena'im were written.
Two inscriptions in Latin characters appear in the bottom margin - on the left: "27 Adar Seni A° 5453 Yom Sabat Kodes", and on the right: "H. Y. Aboab", referring to the date of the death (27th Adar II 1693) of Chacham Isaac Aboab (da Fonseca, the III), revered rabbi of Amsterdam.
The inspiration for this copper engraving was the design of two Dutch ketubot created in 1648 and in 1654 by the artist and engraver Shalom Mordechai Italia. Shalom Italia, who arrived in Holland from Mantua, was also known for creating two Scrolls of Esther and portraits of Jacob Judah Leon Templo and of Menasseh ben Israel.
At the bottom of the ketubah are the signatures of the groom (in Latin characters) and of the witnesses: "Shlomo son of R. Yaakov Ayllon", "Yaakov ibn Yakar Bondia". The first signatory is Chacham Shlomo Ayllon, Rabbi of the Spanish-Portuguese community in Amsterdam. His signature (together with that of the second witness) appears again at the end of the Tena'im, inscribed in the lower cartouche. The Ketubah and the Tena'im mention the name of the notary who drew up this contract – "the famous notary… Peter Iscabali…".
R. Shlomo Ayllon (ca. 1660-1728), born in Salonika (or Safed), served as emissary of the Safed community in Europe, residing also in Izmir, Turkey and in Livorno. He was later appointed Chacham of the Spanish-Portuguese community (the Marrano community) in London. From there, he moved over to serve as rabbi of the Spanish-Portuguese community in Amsterdam, alongside Chacham Tzvi, then rabbi of the Ashkenazi community. He was suspected of Sabbateanism, resulting in his involvement in polemics on that topic in London and Amsterdam. His rulings and responsa are quoted in halachic books. Some of his writings are extant in manuscript (see enclosed material).
41X34 cm. A few stains. Creases. Minute marginal tears.
Literature:
1. Ketubbah: Jewish marriage contracts of the Hebrew Union College Skirball Museum and Klau Library, by Shalom Sabar (NY, 1990), pp. 265-270.
2. The Oeuvre of the Jewish Engraver Salom Italia, by Mordechai Narkis, in: Tarbitz, Vol. 25, Issue 4, Tammuz 1956, pp. 441-451; Vol. 26, Issue 1, Tishrei 1956, pp. 87-101.
3. HaKetubah B'Iturim, by David Davidowitz. Tel Aviv: A. Levine-Epstein, 1979, pp. 21-24.
Category
Parchment Manuscripts – Illustrated Manuscripts,
Megillot and Single Leaves
Catalogue
Auction 63 - Rare and Important Items
November 13, 2018
Opening: $4,000
Estimate: $5,000 - $8,000
Sold for: $5,250
Including buyer's premium
The Book of Lamentations, an illuminated manuscript on parchment. Written and illustrated by Shlomo Yedidya Seelenfreund. Jerusalem, [1940s-50s].
The title page bears a medallion with the word "Eichah" and an illustration of the city of Jerusalem burning, in black and red; under it: "Shlomo Yedidya Seelenfreund, Jerusalem". On each of the following pages, the text appears within a decorative frame. The illustrations and titles of the frames reflect the text.
Shlomo Yedidya (Salamon Seelenfreund) was born in 1875 to Elazar Ze'ev Lajos HaKohen Seelenfreund and to Léni, née Weiszburg, in Szentes, Hungary. Two years later his father was appointed dayan by the Szeged community and the family moved there. At the age of 16, he left Szeged and moved to Budapest to start his education as an artist. He studied in the school of arts and worked in printing presses and in various graphic design workshops. Later on, Shlomo Yedidya left Hungary and stayed in Rome, Paris and Germany, studying in various art workshops. When he returned to Hungary, he established a workshop and got married (ca. 1898) to Shoshana, also née Weiszburg. Through publicity in art periodicals, he became known as an artist and a teacher of the arts. He was invited to design and decorate the new Neological synagogue in Szeged, inaugurated in 1903. He held solo exhibitions and took part in group exhibitions in Szeged (1910) and in Budapest. Moved to Eretz Israel in 1921 with his family, settled in Jerusalem and started a workshop which was open to visitors on Saturday. Later, the family joined the small moshav Beit Talma in Emek HaArazim (close to Motza, near Jerusalem), where they built a house and grew some field and garden plants.
During the 1929 riots, on Saturday, August 24, the house and its contents were burnt - including plans, works of art and equipment - and whatever remained was stolen. The family was evacuated from the house on time and was saved. In 1940, after wandering between apartments in Tel Aviv, Shlomo Yedidya and his son, Yehuda, settled in Givatayim. In 1947, Shlomo and his wife Shoshana moved to the Yavneh retirement home in Tel Aviv. When the War of Independence broke out and the Egyptians bombed Tel Aviv, their room was hit while they were away and many of Yedidya's works were destroyed. Shoshana Yedidya passed away in 1958. Three years later (1961) Shlomo Yedidya passed away. (The biography of Shlomo Yedidya is based on an essay by Timna Rubinger, published by the Memorial Museum of the Hungarian Speaking Jewry in Safed. The essay includes a lot more information about Yedidya).
[6] leaves. 14 cm. Original leather binding, somewhat worn, with a decorated metal clasp. Good condition. Leaves partly detached. A single worming hole to inner binding, front endpaper and title page.
The title page bears a medallion with the word "Eichah" and an illustration of the city of Jerusalem burning, in black and red; under it: "Shlomo Yedidya Seelenfreund, Jerusalem". On each of the following pages, the text appears within a decorative frame. The illustrations and titles of the frames reflect the text.
Shlomo Yedidya (Salamon Seelenfreund) was born in 1875 to Elazar Ze'ev Lajos HaKohen Seelenfreund and to Léni, née Weiszburg, in Szentes, Hungary. Two years later his father was appointed dayan by the Szeged community and the family moved there. At the age of 16, he left Szeged and moved to Budapest to start his education as an artist. He studied in the school of arts and worked in printing presses and in various graphic design workshops. Later on, Shlomo Yedidya left Hungary and stayed in Rome, Paris and Germany, studying in various art workshops. When he returned to Hungary, he established a workshop and got married (ca. 1898) to Shoshana, also née Weiszburg. Through publicity in art periodicals, he became known as an artist and a teacher of the arts. He was invited to design and decorate the new Neological synagogue in Szeged, inaugurated in 1903. He held solo exhibitions and took part in group exhibitions in Szeged (1910) and in Budapest. Moved to Eretz Israel in 1921 with his family, settled in Jerusalem and started a workshop which was open to visitors on Saturday. Later, the family joined the small moshav Beit Talma in Emek HaArazim (close to Motza, near Jerusalem), where they built a house and grew some field and garden plants.
During the 1929 riots, on Saturday, August 24, the house and its contents were burnt - including plans, works of art and equipment - and whatever remained was stolen. The family was evacuated from the house on time and was saved. In 1940, after wandering between apartments in Tel Aviv, Shlomo Yedidya and his son, Yehuda, settled in Givatayim. In 1947, Shlomo and his wife Shoshana moved to the Yavneh retirement home in Tel Aviv. When the War of Independence broke out and the Egyptians bombed Tel Aviv, their room was hit while they were away and many of Yedidya's works were destroyed. Shoshana Yedidya passed away in 1958. Three years later (1961) Shlomo Yedidya passed away. (The biography of Shlomo Yedidya is based on an essay by Timna Rubinger, published by the Memorial Museum of the Hungarian Speaking Jewry in Safed. The essay includes a lot more information about Yedidya).
[6] leaves. 14 cm. Original leather binding, somewhat worn, with a decorated metal clasp. Good condition. Leaves partly detached. A single worming hole to inner binding, front endpaper and title page.
Category
Parchment Manuscripts – Illustrated Manuscripts,
Megillot and Single Leaves
Catalogue
Auction 63 - Rare and Important Items
November 13, 2018
Opening: $1,500
Estimate: $4,000 - $6,000
Sold for: $2,750
Including buyer's premium
Shiviti leaf with a LaMenatze'ach Menorah, including commentaries and segulot, by the kabbalist R. Avraham Alnakar. [Livorno, 1793].
Copper-engraving on parchment, two pages side by side. At the top of the right-hand page, the Shiviti text with Holy Names appears. The center of the page is occupied by a fine illustration of the Menorah and its utensils, with Kabbalistic commentaries and allusions to the LaMenatze'ach Psalm. The left-hand page bears a horseshoe arch-shaped ornamented border, surrounded by Kabbalistic allusions.
A long passage by the author, R. Avraham Alnakar, was printed within the arch, describing the segula of the LaMenatze'ach Psalm in the form of a Menorah. He mentions the words of his close colleague, the Chida, on the importance of writing this Psalm specifically on parchment: "…to be zealous every day to recite the LaMenatze'ach BiNeginot Psalm handwritten on parchment in the form of a Menorah, since its segula is well-known… as it says in Tziporen HaShamir by the Chida…". This printing was presumably effected following the words of the Chida, the first known source recording the significance of writing the LaMenatze'ach Menorah on parchment.
R. Avraham writes that he left the Menorah branches hollow, in order to subsequently complete the verses by hand, since the verses of the Psalm need to be handwritten rather than printed. A copy exists with the Psalm filled in by hand, however in this copy, the Menorah branches remain empty, and only the first verse was inscribed above the branches.
R. Avraham further writes that he toiled extensively over the drawing of the Menorah with all its details, and instructs how and what to intend when contemplating the Menorah. He then brings ten distinctive segulot of reciting the LaMenatze'ach Psalm in form of a Menorah, especially from a handwritten one. Amongst the segulot: "Whoever sees this Psalm every day in form of a Menorah will find favor in the eyes of G-d and man…"; "If it is illustrated on the Holy Ark in a synagogue, it will protect the congregation from all harm"; "Whoever says it from a handwritten text at sunrise, no adverse incidents will occur to him"; "Whoever recites it from a handwritten text seven times - it is as if he is receiving the Shechina, and he will never lack sustenance…"; "Whoever recites it from a handwritten text during the days of the Omer counting after the blessing of the Kohanim, no harm will befall him the whole year…"; "Whoever says it seven times while travelling, will go in peace and with success", and more.
The year of printing appears at the foot of the page, at the end of his words.
R. Avraham Alnakar (1740-1803), rabbi and kabbalist, was a Torah scholar of Fez. In his travels, he reached Livorno, Italy, where he settled and became close to the Chida. In Livorno, he published a machzor with a commentary he composed, first named Machzor Katan, and later published as Zechor L'Avraham. He arranged the machzor with the assistance and guidance of the Chida. This machzor is highly widespread and was reprinted in many editions. The printing of this Menorah may have also been under the guidance or encouragement of the Chida. Toldot Gedolei Yisrael U'Geonei Italia (Neppi-Ghirondi, p. 47) mentions a "Commentary on the Menorah" printed in Livorno by R. Avraham, referring to this sheet (see: M. Narkiss, Biur al HaMenorah shel Avraham Alnakar, Kiryat Sefer 11, 4 [1935], p. 506).
[1] parchment leaf. 26X17.5 cm. Good condition. Light stains. Bound in paper wrappers with thread (with holes in the center for binding). Minor marginal tears, not affecting text.
Copper-engraving on parchment, two pages side by side. At the top of the right-hand page, the Shiviti text with Holy Names appears. The center of the page is occupied by a fine illustration of the Menorah and its utensils, with Kabbalistic commentaries and allusions to the LaMenatze'ach Psalm. The left-hand page bears a horseshoe arch-shaped ornamented border, surrounded by Kabbalistic allusions.
A long passage by the author, R. Avraham Alnakar, was printed within the arch, describing the segula of the LaMenatze'ach Psalm in the form of a Menorah. He mentions the words of his close colleague, the Chida, on the importance of writing this Psalm specifically on parchment: "…to be zealous every day to recite the LaMenatze'ach BiNeginot Psalm handwritten on parchment in the form of a Menorah, since its segula is well-known… as it says in Tziporen HaShamir by the Chida…". This printing was presumably effected following the words of the Chida, the first known source recording the significance of writing the LaMenatze'ach Menorah on parchment.
R. Avraham writes that he left the Menorah branches hollow, in order to subsequently complete the verses by hand, since the verses of the Psalm need to be handwritten rather than printed. A copy exists with the Psalm filled in by hand, however in this copy, the Menorah branches remain empty, and only the first verse was inscribed above the branches.
R. Avraham further writes that he toiled extensively over the drawing of the Menorah with all its details, and instructs how and what to intend when contemplating the Menorah. He then brings ten distinctive segulot of reciting the LaMenatze'ach Psalm in form of a Menorah, especially from a handwritten one. Amongst the segulot: "Whoever sees this Psalm every day in form of a Menorah will find favor in the eyes of G-d and man…"; "If it is illustrated on the Holy Ark in a synagogue, it will protect the congregation from all harm"; "Whoever says it from a handwritten text at sunrise, no adverse incidents will occur to him"; "Whoever recites it from a handwritten text seven times - it is as if he is receiving the Shechina, and he will never lack sustenance…"; "Whoever recites it from a handwritten text during the days of the Omer counting after the blessing of the Kohanim, no harm will befall him the whole year…"; "Whoever says it seven times while travelling, will go in peace and with success", and more.
The year of printing appears at the foot of the page, at the end of his words.
R. Avraham Alnakar (1740-1803), rabbi and kabbalist, was a Torah scholar of Fez. In his travels, he reached Livorno, Italy, where he settled and became close to the Chida. In Livorno, he published a machzor with a commentary he composed, first named Machzor Katan, and later published as Zechor L'Avraham. He arranged the machzor with the assistance and guidance of the Chida. This machzor is highly widespread and was reprinted in many editions. The printing of this Menorah may have also been under the guidance or encouragement of the Chida. Toldot Gedolei Yisrael U'Geonei Italia (Neppi-Ghirondi, p. 47) mentions a "Commentary on the Menorah" printed in Livorno by R. Avraham, referring to this sheet (see: M. Narkiss, Biur al HaMenorah shel Avraham Alnakar, Kiryat Sefer 11, 4 [1935], p. 506).
[1] parchment leaf. 26X17.5 cm. Good condition. Light stains. Bound in paper wrappers with thread (with holes in the center for binding). Minor marginal tears, not affecting text.
Category
Parchment Manuscripts – Illustrated Manuscripts,
Megillot and Single Leaves
Catalogue